1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of ore refining and more specifically relates an apparatus for concentrating and recovering concentrates from an ore mixture.
2. The Prior Art
The present invention includes improvements and additions to the apparatus described in an earlier patent of the present inventor, namely U.S. Pat. No. 2,832,472, issued Apr. 29, 1958 to E. J. Pierce for "Hydraulic Concentrator". Because portions of the structure of the present invention are similar to portions of the invention disclosed in the earlier patent, the earlier patent is hereby incorporated by reference into the present specification, and will be referred to below as "the earlier patent".
The earlier patent disclosed an inclined reciprocating sluiceway within which a primary flow of water directed up the sluiceway commingles with the mix in a mixing zone located at a point intermediate the ends of the sluiceway. After passing through the mixing zone, the mix is intermingled with a secondary stream or flow which also flows up the incline. As the combined flow moves up the incline, its average velocity decreases, thereby causing the heavier concentrates to settle out onto the floor of the sluiceway. The heavier concentrates then move along the floor of the sluiceway down the incline as a result of the oscillation of the sluiceway. The heavier concentrates thus accumulate at the lower rear end of the sluiceway, while the liquid and the lighter material are discharged from the higher front end of the sluiceway. The angle of inclination of the sluiceway is adjustable.
In contrast to the invention disclosed in the earlier patent, the present invention uses only a single flow of water rather than a primary flow and a secondary flow. Because only a single flow is used in the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the baffle that in the earlier invention separated the primary flow from the secondary flow and defined the mixing zone.
In contrast with the earlier invention, in the present invention an entirely new feed geometry and mixing zone is used. This is made possible by pressurizing the feed as well as by structural additions to the separation chamber.
Further in contrast to the earlier invention, in the present invention the plan view of the interior of the separation chamber has been greatly altered to improve its performance, as will be described in detail below.
In contrast with the earlier invention, in the present invention the separation chamber includes a novel pinch valve that opens intermittently for discharging the heavier concentrates.
The concentrator of the earlier invention used a flat floor in its separation chamber. In contrast, in the present invention, both the floor and ceiling of the separation chamber are shaped by the addition of a number of specially positioned blocks that eliminate any tendency of the heavier concentrates to pack and make possible a more accurate separation.
These are the principal structural differences between the present invention and that of the earlier patent, and the operation and significance of these improvements will be described in greater detail below.
In addition to the aforementioned improvements, the present invention includes an additional novel helical concentrator that cooperates with the separation chamber of the present invention to effect a preliminary concentration of the material to be separated and to provide a pressurized feed for the separator stage.
A form of helical concentrator known in the prior art is manufactured by Humphreys Mineral Industries, Inc., 2219 Market Street, Denver, Colo. 80205 and is sold under the trademark HYDROCYCLONE. That unit is quite different from the present invention in that the material is fed into the spiral passage from the top, and spirals down through the passage under the action of gravity, while, in contrast, in the present invention the material to be concentrated is forced to flow upwardly against gravity through a helical passage.
Thus, as will be seen below, the present invention includes novel improvements and other features that permit it to be distinguished readily from concentrators and separators known in the prior art.